More than Friends
by Hazel Roses
Summary: Why does Sakura keep dwelling on someone who doesn't care about her? She doesn't know and after a breakdown in front of her friend, she decides she deserves happiness. She doesn't know he's willing to give that to her.


**This is just a short piece I had stuck in my head. Hope you like it!**

* * *

Sakura watched with agitation as he walked past her for the fifth time like she was invisible. Jade orbs glared when he didn't even look her way, arm entwined with that blonde bitch. So he refused to dance with her, but didn't seem to mind that blue-eyed menace.

It only took moments for her anger to melt into sadness at the smirk that crossed his features as they ground their hips to the beat. She'd be lying if she said she wasn't jealous. It was those retarded hormones females seemed to be cursed with...or that was something she could blame for how she felt.

Were the nights they spent together nothing...was _she_ nothing to him? Sakura was sitting here at this club, irritably tapping her fingers on the round table with one hand and sipping vodka with the other, while he acted as if she wasn't there.

It hurt... damn it, it hurt like hell, but what could she do? After that night they spent together, the dark-haired man ignored all her advances. Sasuke even turned her down for sex, something she didn't think was possible for anything male to do.

Finally sick of watching the couple and trying to fight the urge to cry, the twenty-one year old slid down from her stool to look for her friend.

Cigarette smoke clouded her vision, making her eyes water a bit...at least that was what Sakura tried to convince herself as she spotted the brunette laughing with their friend Lee.

"Tenten, I don't want to be here," Sakura shouted to the other woman over the music.

She gave Sakura a cocked look, chocolate eyes searching those of her friend. She turned and studied the laser lit dance floor, quickly picking up on why Sakura suddenly wanted to leave when she had been so eager to go out.

"That little..." she said through gritted teeth, fingers sweeping a curl of deep brown hair behind her ear. "I'll destroy her."

As amazing as that sounded, the rosette placed a hand on Tenten's shoulder to calm her. If she let Tenten beat Ino to a pulp, it would be clear that she did it for Sakura and the last thing the saddened woman wanted was more attention. People were already aware of how much she cared for Sasuke Uchiha.

"I just want to go..."

Rock Lee stood from his place at the bar, placing down his cup of water as he had a very low tolerance for alcohol.

"Sakura," he said firmly, pointing a gloved hand at her. "You are smart and beautiful and if Sasuke can't see that, then you don't need him!"

Sakura sighed inwardly. Those words were falling on deaf ears simply because she _wanted_ Sasuke whether he recognized her for who she was or not.

"Come," he said soothingly, placing an arm around her bare shoulders. "We will leave now."

As the trio exited the club, Sakura stole one last glance at Sasuke and bit the inside of her cheek when she saw them kissing.

"Bastard," she whispered angrily as they departed.

The taxi ride home only took a few minutes and once Lee had been dropped off as his home, Tenten and Sakura pulled up to their apartment complex.

It was so dark and gloomy, despite how the street lights reflected like pearls off its white surface. A canine could be heard barking and was silenced by a shrieking _"Shut the hell up dog!"_ that always followed.

Sakura felt a smile creep over her face at the sound of Mrs. Tsunade's voice. She couldn't understand why the former teacher didn't just get rid of the animal since she couldn't stand it, but it was probably because her husband Jiraiya loved the little wiener dog to death.

Sakura gazed around the quiet parking lot, spotting a male figure walking toward them. She saw his long, dark hair billowing gently in the wind as he approached and knew exactly who it was.

"There's Neji," Sakura said, turning playful eyes on Tenten.

She watched with amusement as her friend's cheek burned crimson and she immediately began fingering her curls and brushing her bangs back into place.

"Shit," she murmured angrily. "I smell like a damn astray right now."

"Courtesy of Black Shinobi," Sakura teased. "It sucks that people are allowed to smoke in there."

"Tell me about it," Tenten muttered after quickly applying some lip gloss.

Just as she was putting it away, Neji stopped in front of the two women. Tenten shot him a smile and asked, "What's got you outside?"

His lilac colored eyes turned to the woman who spoke to him before looking up at the cloudy night sky. "I was just taking a walk. It feels nice out tonight." His gaze dropped to the emerald green halter top dress that Tenten was wearing.

"I suppose you just came from Black Shinobi?"

"Yeah," Sakura answered. "I wasn't having much fun so we left."

"How can you when you're inhaling enough smoke to develop cancer?" he asked stoically.

The females laughed and went their separate ways. It took a few moments for Sakura to convince Tenten that she could go with Neji. Being the great friend that she was, the brunette didn't want to leave Sakura alone when she wasn't feeling so hot. It worked out because Sakura really did want a few moments to herself.

Sakura began walking over to the large lake that was adjacent to her home, leaning her head back to feel the cool breeze move over her heated skin until goosebumps began to chill her.

Neji was right when he said tonight was beautiful. The thick clouds were dark purple, kissed by royal blue and a tinge of gray. The wind pushed them gently towards the north, completely blocking out the glow of the moon.

Sakura wrapped her arms around her body, gazing down at the black form-fitting dress she had bought just to turn Sasuke's head. A manicured finger reached up to brush against the sequins that lined the side of it absently as she gazed around at the quiet environment. Well, the atmosphere was quiet of human life, but the creatures of the night were wide awake at one in the morning. Frogs croaked, grasshoppers tweeted their melody, and the occasional elegant hoot of the night owl sounded around her.

Finally reaching the water's edge, Sakura sat on the old wooden bench underneath the glow of the street lamp, wincing at the pain she felt in her feet from her three inch heels. Never would she again purposely kill her feet just to look attractive for any male...she could hardly walk in them without potentially falling and breaking her face anyway.

Reaching down, she unhooked one silver stiletto from her ankle and rubbed the red marks around her foot gently. She frowned when it reminded her of the foot massages that Sasuke would give her.

"Why can't I just get over you?" she asked herself quietly while gazing over at the blackened lake.

She sat in silence for a few moments, just mulling over her former lover. Sakura decided right then and there that she was going to get over him, something that sounded good, but hadn't worked out the last time she tried.

"You know, it's a bit cool out here not to have a jacket."

Sakura looked up to see someone standing close by, hands stuffed in the pockets of his jeans. A weary smile broke over her face at the sight of him. "Hey Gaara."

His teal eyes moved over her, his face remaining expressionless as he sat down next to her. Gaara reached up to rake his fingers through his blood red hair, a habit Sakura noticed when they first met three years ago. His hair was unruly and she guessed he did that to fix it at one point, but then it became comforting.

Gaara placed his pale hand in the pocket of his hoodie and looked at her closely. "Why are you upset?"

"I'm not upset," she lied.

His gaze moved to the gentle churn of the lake. "Then why are you about to cry?"

Sakura sucked in her cheeks and began to study the grass that had suddenly become so interesting. "I'm not going to cry."

"So you're admitting that you want to, but won't."

Sakura frowned and hooked a strand of pink hair behind her ear. Damn Gaara for being able to read her like a book. She never had been one who could hide her feelings anyway, but the fact that that red-headed brat called her out on it didn't make anything better.

"So what?" she snapped, angrily crossing her legs. "I don't care."

Gaara continued to watch her. "You do care."

Finally unable to keep up her facade that was failing miserably, Sakura sniffed and felt her throat closing with tears.

Gaara placed an arm around her shoulders. "Come."

Sakura leaned into his shoulder and cried. She hated that Sasuke held such power over her, but she couldn't help it. The young woman cared so much for a bastard and couldn't figure out how to disentangle herself from his grasp.

After a few moments, Sakura was able to calm down. She let out a few shaky breaths to relax a bit and turned swollen, puffy eyes to her friend while wiping her face.

"Thank you, Gaara."

A muffled "hn" was his response before standing up. He pulled his hood up over his head. "You need to get home. A shower may be nice as well."

Sakura smiled, removed her other shoe so she could walk barefoot, and stood up as well. "A shower does sound pretty nice."

"It would help." Gaara gave her a serious look before saying, "You smell like lung cancer."

Sakura frowned and aimed a punch at his shoulder. The redhead dodged it and she glared at him. "Shut up."

She could see that sparkle in his eyes that let her know he was amused. Gaara rarely ever smiled, but over the years, Sakura could tell when he was in a good mood. She found a grin creeping over her own face as they walked along the sidewalk towards her apartment.

It only took a few moments to arrive at her door and Sakura was thankful that her home was on the first floor. There was no way she could hobble up the stairs with how mangled her aching feet felt.

Sakura turned to the male who walked her home, giving him a grateful smile. "Thank you Gaara."

She watched his gaze rise from his converse sneakers, slowly moving up her body until their eyes locked.

The shiver that moved up her spine as the young woman gazed into those mysterious orbs was unnerving. Was she really going to rush onto her good friend because he had been nice to her when a certain bastard Uchiha refused to? That wasn't fair to Gaara at all and Sakura felt a bit ashamed at herself.

"Well," she said quietly, hoping he couldn't see the pink working its way over her cheeks in the dim lighting. "Goodnight, and thank you again."

She turned to unlock her door when Gaara spoke up.

"I'm coming to pick you up at three tomorrow," he said calmly. "Dress casually."

She looked over her shoulder and raised a pink brow in confusion. "Huh?"

"I want to show you something," he said simply, reaching up to run his fingers through his hair since the wind had blown his hood off. "Do you have something already planned?"

No, she didn't have anything to do tomorrow. It was sad to have no plans on a Saturday, but it looked like she had something now. Sakura was curious to know what her friend wanted to show her. Thoughts were already churning and she studied him intently.

Messy hair fell into jeweled orbs, pointed nose, a jaw line that was softly curved in the right places, then there was his tattoo on the side of his forehead. Because of the color, it was similar to his hair. Sakura once asked him why the hell he would get a tattoo on his forehead and what did it mean since it was in Japanese. His response was that it meant love and he had it for personal reasons. She didn't bother to push any further on the subject from how Gaara had looked away when she asked.

Her inquisitive eyes continued to study him. Sure he was handsome, but there was that issue of not having any eyebrows and looking like he hadn't slept in years. Then again, Gaara often suffered from insomnia. The reason he had been out tonight so late was probably because he couldn't sleep.

All in all, her friend was attractive. He wasn't drop dead gorgeous, but his features were different, unique almost.

Gaara placed his hood back up and turned to walk away.

"Good night," Sakura called after him.

The male turned to gaze at her. "Goodnight Sakura."

With that, he walked off, leaving Sakura to wonder about the following day's events.

* * *

Sakura looked in her closet and wondered how it was possible to have so many clothes and still have _nothing_ to wear. It just didn't make any logical sense. Everything she picked out just didn't seem to go with...well she didn't even know where they were going. Gaara had just said to dress casually. What did it mean to dress casually, damn it?

Sakura growled and stepped over the many clothes, shoes, books, and CDs that were strewn all over her room floor, still clad in her towel that surprisingly matched her hair. She let it fall to the floor in a heap and moved over to her drawer. At least it wasn't hard to pick what type of undergarments to wear.

"Are you still trashing this room looking for something?" Sakura turned to see Tenten standing in the doorway smiling at her, remote control to the TV in her hand. Tenten leaned against the door frame and crossed her arms over her chest. "That's the cutest thing ever. He asks you on a date and you go bat shit."

"It's not a date," Sakura argued, pushing her still wet locks out of her face when she bent down to rummage through a pile of clothes on her bed. "He said he wanted to show me something. There's a difference."

Her friend's light brown eyes sparkled with amusement. "Well you sure are acting like it's a date. Why not just throw on some sweats and a t-shirt since it's not?"

"No!" Sakura exclaimed while picking up a tight fitting blue muscle shirt and examining it. "I still want to look nice."

Tenten chuckled while mussing her long hair that was out of its usual buns. They were quiet for a few moments and Sakura decided on that muscle shirt and a pair of jeans. It was supposed to be in the seventies that day so it was warm enough to go without a jacket.

"Sakura?"

"Hm?" she answered, quickly slipping on her jeans and moving to her dresser's mirror to do her hair and make up.

"How are you feeling?" Tenten asked gently, gazing at Sakura through the mirror's reflection. "About Sasuke I mean."

The young woman felt a stab of unhappiness at the mention of his name. Honestly, Sakura hadn't thought about him all day. She had been too busy trying to prepare for her afternoon with Gaara. Still, a lot of the anger from the day before had melted away. That had to have been a good start.

"I'm trying not to think about him," Sakura answered honestly while pulling her hair up into a high ponytail. "I'd be lying if I said I don't still care for him."

The brunette nodded in agreement. "I never did like that Uchiha kid. Something didn't sit right with me." Tenten sat on a part of Sakura's bed that wasn't covered with clothes. "Gaara, on the other hand, I like."

"Why's that?" Sakura asked curiously. She picked up a tube of lip gloss and began applying it while waiting for her roommate's response.

Tenten tapped her chin for a moment before saying, "He's real. Gaara doesn't put on an act for anyone. He's always himself so I know that the look he gives you is because he genuinely cares, not because he's just trying to get laid."

Sakura's eyebrows shot up and she turned around quickly. "What?"

_Gaara_ have feelings for _her_? That sounded borderline impossible. Sure they were close friends, but she had never noticed anything that might indicate that he liked her. Sakura wasn't even sure what kind of girls he liked. She'd only seen him with one woman.

Surprisingly Matsuri was completely opposite of Gaara when it came to personalities. She was a bubbly person, always smiling and laughing while Gaara was more serious and quiet. They had dated for a few months, but ended up splitting. Sakura didn't know why, but she did notice a change in her friend's behavior that wasn't for the better.

She remembered that he had gotten so angry that he got in a fight outside of a store. Sakura had _never_ seen Gaara so crazed. After he literally destroyed the guy, he went on to scream _"Are you afraid of me! Do you think I'm a monster? Well I am!_" while others struggled to restrain him.

He went to jail that night, but once he was out, it was like nothing had happened. Gaara was back to his quiet self and when Sakura tried to ask what set him off, he became guarded so she let the subject next drop.

"Gaara cares about you Sakura," Tenten said solemnly. "You're too blinded by Sasuke to see it."

Was that true? There was no way. Sakura shook her head in denial, not really sure what to say.

"I..."

Sakura was cut off by her cell phone ringing. She bolted for it, nearly tripping over her heels from the night before that she had precariously forgotten about. Picking her Android up and taking it off its charger, she looked and saw Gaara's name. Sakura's heart sped up and she took a deep breath to calm her nerves.

_Since when do I have nerves when it comes to Gaara?_ Sakura asked herself irritably before answering.

"What's up?"

"I'm outside," came his smooth voice. "Are you ready?"

Sakura quickly threw on some flip flops, grabbed her purse, and looked at Tenten for reassurance. She smiled and gave her the thumbs up sign and Sakura grinned and headed towards the door.

"Yeah, I'm walking outside in just a minute."

"Alright," he answered before hanging up.

Sakura sucked in her cheeks. He always did have that habit of hanging up without saying goodbye and he also never rang the door bell. Any time they were going to hang out, he would always call her and wait outside rather than just knock. It was annoying, but Sakura didn't think much of it.

She grabbed her sunglasses off the coffee table and went to the front door, sliding them in place just as she opened it and the bright light began to filter inside.

The young woman stepped out into the warmth, eyes searching and finding Gaara. This time, she studied him from a different angle. He really was handsome and the sun brought out just how red his hair was. She was only in denial the night before.

Gaara's gaze wasn't focused on her; his teal orbs were locked on the ground in another direction. Sakura could see how slender his neck was and how smooth his face looked.

Finally Gaara looked up at her, ran a hand through his locks, and walked over. Sakura wasn't sure if his face was red from the weather or because he was blushing.

"Why don't you ever ring the doorbell?" Sakura teased as they headed to his black BMW.

He was silent for a moment when they reached his vehicle and he dug in the pocket of his pants to pull out his keys.

"I don't like the way yours sounds," he answered as he unlocked the door and got in.

"What?" Sakura questioned, a smirk playing on her lips. "That doesn't even make any sense!"

Sakura saw that sparkle in his eyes when she sat down in the passenger seat once more. He was definitely amused.

"So where are we going?" she questioned when they got on the road.

"You'll see," was his answer, the fingers of his free hand idly toying with the silver chain hanging from his skull belt.

Sakura growled in protest. She hated surprises simply because she always wanted to know right away. Didn't everyone? It was just adding on to her curiosity that was already at dangerously high levels.

"Sakura."

She came out of her inner ramblings and gazed at her friend. "What's up?"

"I..." he swallowed and she swore a hint of pink was inching across his cheeks, "never mind."

"What is it?" Sakura questioned, gently placing her hand over his. "You can tell me. I won't laugh at you, I promise."

He looked at her and Sakura laughed, telling him that she was only joking. He only shook his head at her and said nothing more. Her smile faded and she was going to ask if she had offended him, but then he said, "We're here."

Sakura gazed out of the lightly tinted window and saw what looked like a skate park. There were giant ramps everywhere. People were all over the place and she wondered if this was a competition.

The two friends stepped out of the car and Sakura adjusted her sunglasses before moving to Gaara's side.

"Is this an X Games event?" she questioned as they began walking towards the entrance.

"Yes," he answered once they were in line.

Sakura was confused. Why would he want to take her to the X Games? She had gone with him before to smaller events on many occasions since Gaara liked to skateboard and bike. Sakura had even rooted him on when he had been in one of the competitions. So why bring her to something she had been to before albeit a smaller version? Her mind was churning, completely at a loss to what Gaara was up to.

They paid for their tickets and because the mass of people was so big, Sakura looped her arm in Gaara's in order to make sure they stayed together. He glanced at her and gave her a soft look before leading them to where they would be sitting. Sakura saw an alcohol stand and insisted on getting something to drink. Once a Budweiser was in her hand, she said, "Alright, I'm all set."

"You know you don't need that," Gaara chided, running his free and through his hair and pulling is olive green muscle shirt further over his pants.

"Yes, I do," Sakura insisted with a smile. "Come on, let's hurry up and sit."

After weaving their way through the crowd, the two found their seats. Sakura liked where they were at. It was right in the center of the bleachers so they were high enough to see and not so high that they would need binoculars to have the slightest idea as to what was going on.

Sakura sat down and crossed her smooth legs, emerald eyes scanning the crowd while sipping her beer. She was still trying to figure out just what Gaara was up to, but he was so...unpredictable. It was hard to guess what he was thinking, but that didn't stop the inquisitive woman from trying.

"When are you going to tell me why you brought me here?" Sakura asked, finally giving up on trying to guess.

"Hn," he mumbled, reaching up to rake his fingers through his hair. "You're so impatient. You will see in a moment."

"Ugh, you suck," Sakura responded, leaning her head against Gaara's shoulder.

She felt him tense for a moment, but he soon relaxed and placed his head against hers. Sakura's heart sped up again. Did Gaara really like her? Tenten's words were ringing in her ears and she took a moment to think on how it would be if she and Gaara became more than friends.

They clicked because of how different their personalities were, like Sakura was outgoing while Gaara was more reclusive. Still, Gaara had good qualities: he was honest without being hurtful, caring without being overbearing. He just had the right amount for every quality Sakura liked, but the one she admired most was how non-judgmental he was. Anyone else would think she was stupid for chasing so hard after Sasuke, but Gaara never said anything like that to make her feel bad about herself.

Soon the show began and Sakura was on the edge of her seat like she always was at these types of events. The tricks that these guys were able to do were so amazing. It must have taken lots of pain and broken bones to perfect their techniques.

"Wow, did you see that?" Sakura exclaimed, beryl eyes flashing with excitement when one of the bx guys did a back flip with his bike.

Her gaze stayed locked on him and he went up the high ramp to perform another trick. Unfortunately on the landing, he came down wrong and fell, skidding the rest of the way down the ramp.

"Oh man," Sakura said softly, fingers tightly clenched in her lap while the crowd echoed their concern. "I hope he's okay."

Gaara sat up straight. "This is what I wanted to show you."

The rosette gave him a strange look. "What? Someone breaking their leg?"

Her friend pointed at the man and said, "Watch him."

Sakura returned her eyes to the performer and watched him struggle to get up. It was clear he was in a lot of pain, but he managed to get to his feet with the help of assistants and the crowd went wild.

Gaara slid closer and flicked his gaze from Sakura to the biker. "See how even though he was hurting, he got back up again?"

"Yeah?" Sakura answered, pushing her sunglasses up on the top of her head.

"What did he just do?"

"He got back up," Sakura answered. "Now he's getting his bike...is he about to try and ride again?"

"He probably will." Gaara took her drink and swallowed a few sips before continuing. "That's what you need to do Sakura."

_I need to fall and get up?_ Sakura questioned in her mind. _I don't...oh..._

Sakura completely understood now. Gaara used this to show her an example of what was going on in her life. He was saying that although she had been hurt, she needed to dust herself off and try again.

A smile broke over her soft features. "Couldn't you have just told me that instead?"

"I like to do things...a little more complicated."

Sakura laughed and once it subsided, their gazes locked. Maybe something could be between them if she allowed herself to move away from Sasuke. No man had ever done something like this for her to help her see exactly what he could see going on in her life. Her friend obviously did care a lot about her and this whole time she had been blind to it.

Deciding to take the initiative, Sakura slowly entwined their hands and she internally sighed in relief when he closed his fingers around hers.

It only took a fleeting moment for their lips to meet. Sakura marveled on how soft they were, so sweet and innocent. She ran her fingers through his silky hair and pulled back.

"So you _do_ like me," Sakura accused playfully.

She was shocked when Gaara actually gave her half a smile.

"Perhaps."

She laughed and linked her fingers through his. Maybe Gaara would be the person who could fill in the gap that had been made by Sasuke. It was worth a shot and like the old saying goes: you don't know until you try. She deserved happiness and she was sure this man could give her that.

"Well, well, look who I've found. It's Pinkie. "

Sakura froze. She knew that cocky voice anywhere and when she turned around, she saw the familiar ivory locks and piercing violet irises. He smiled his shark-like grin at her, crossing his arms over his chest.

"What are you doing here Suigetsu?" Sakura questioned, already knowing that if he was here, Sasuke was close by.

The twenty-four year old spread his arms wide. "I came to see the games obviously." His gaze dropped to Gaara and he frowned. "I thought I was supposed to be your next man."

"Leave her alone Suigetsu."

The woman smiled at the guy who walked up next to Suigetsu. "Hi Juugo."

The orange-haired man returned it and told his friend that they needed to go back to their seats. Suigetsu blew her a kiss and Sakura thought she heard Gaara growl under his breath as they left. Sakura took a moment to quickly glance around for Sasuke and didn't see him, something she was semi glad of.

Just then, her phone vibrated. Sakura unlocked her phone and saw Sasuke's name. What the hell could he possibly want? Her pulse thundered as she opened it.

_Hang out with me tonight._

It wasn't a question. He was basically telling her what she was going to do. Sakura found herself frowning sourly and closed her phone. She knew he was somewhere in the park, probably saw her with Gaara and didn't like it. Sasuke might have been pushing her away, but that didn't mean he didn't like her chasing him; that was something that man did enjoy. Well Sakura wasn't going to keep feeding his already bloated ego. She was just going to spend time with her friend, the one who _actually_ cared about her, and get to know him on a new level.

"Sakura," Gaara called softly when she laid her head in the crook of his neck.

"Yes?"

He swallowed and turned his full attention to the skateboarder who was doing his tricks and said, "Do you think you could be happy with me?"

Sakura was silent for a moment, the warm breeze filtering her shoulder length hair around her face. She placed her hand in his lap and said, "I don't know until I try."

* * *

**The end! I hope I did okay with Gaara. I usually don't write him as a main character so hope you liked it! Let me know what you think! **


End file.
